21 photos of clutter that will inspire you to clean out everything in your home

It's difficult to start decluttering your home, especially when you've let things pile up for a while. If you're looking to make some drastic changes, you can try embarking on a "tidying marathon" or adopting a more minimalist lifestyle.

But to motivate yourself in the short run, try taking pictures while you tidy up. As professional organizer Elise Gurock of Chaos Conierge previously told INSIDER, before-and-after photos can help you track your progress and encourage you to keep going.

We've rounded up 21 pictures of clutter that will inspire you to clean out everything in your home. We also combed through Reddit and Quora to find some cleaning tips that people swear by.

Try cleaning while you're cooking.

We've all let our dishes pile up.
Hans Braxmeier/Pixabay

Instead of waiting until you've finished cooking, try washing dishes and wiping the countertop in-between stirring or chopping ingredients, Reddit user inteusx suggests. That way, you'll have less to do once you're done eating.

On the flip side, you can also consider the cost of keeping clutter around.

Think about what you lose when you keep items you don't need. Eventually, you'll have to spend more time cleaning anyway or you'll feel frustrated when you can't find anything, Quora user Jessie Pierce says.

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Tidy up in stages, starting with the easiest tasks first.

Clean smarter, not harder.
C.M. Zijderveld/Pixabay

"Start by walking through [a room] and throwing out anything that's clearly trash, then worry about clearing off countertops/desks, then vacuum, etc.," Reddit user pdxemf recommends.

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Here's another basic rule you can try following: "If it takes five minutes or less, do it now."

Don't let junk mail pile up. Throw it out as soon as you get it.

Clean by category.

It'll make decluttering less stressful.
Bill Kasman/Pixabay

"Decide you want to deal with your clothes first, then your books, then your shoes, then your trinkets," Reddit user isittooearlytodrink suggests. "It makes things not seem so bad when you're focused on just a section of all of the mess."